Water and Food in Africa

Through this blog, the complex topic of water and food has been explored. A key takeaway from each post can be identified. Water in Africa is extremely variable. Groundwater needs to be further studied as a key source of water for agriculture. Previous management failures need to be acknowledged and improved upon. The green revolution is happening and has great potential. New technologies need to be locally adapted and equitable outcomes are important.  Wetland environments are extremely productive and need to be maintained. Overall, there is no clear and simple solution to ending hunger in Africa. With only eight years to meet SDG 2 quick and effective change is essential. This will only likely be achieved through a mix of development approaches that are transparent and involve the maximum amount of participation. Ultimately, these few blog posts have barely scraped the surface of this topic.

This post looks at the importance of wetlands through a case study example. These environments encompass many issues and challenges within the topic of water and food which makes them perfect to explore. What are wetlands? Wetlands are areas of land that are often inundated with water. This can happen seasonally or periodically in some areas while other areas of wetland can be inundated permanently. Some important African wetland features can include peatlands, rivers, deltas, mangroves, and floodplains . These ecosystems have been argued to be some of the most productive in the world and also at the greatest risk from climate change . Overall, wetlands make up approximately 1,341,500 km2 of the total area in Africa with the largest areas of wetland around the equator.  Figure 1 : Locations of wetlands in Africa by area.  The Hadejia-Nguru Wetlands The Hadejia-Nguru Wetlands (HNWs) are located in the Yobe State, Northern Nigeria, and are part of the Chad Basin. This area is...

Having looked at the green revolution in Africa through a positive lens it is important to examine who is benefiting the most and who may be getting left behind.  Farmers left behind.  Organisations such as the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) and Millenium Promise Alliance (MPA) have shown how new seeds have improved crop yields and resistance.  However, the most recent AGRA 2021 report highlights that only 49% of the 11 million farmers directly reached for new technology and infrastructure between 2017-2021 actually adopted the new seed varieties. One major reason for this is that families have been farming for their livelihoods for a long time and have developed cultural practices that are not accounted for when introducing new technology. Another reason for this is that the new seeds tend to be more expensive than the ones previously used. This leads to the improved yield not making up for the cost of the new seeds planted  over smaller areas....

Having previously looked at how the management of water and agriculture has changed over time we now turn to how food production itself has changed in attempting to become more sustainable for the future. Africa's "green revolution" now or never! A green revolution can be outlined as greatly increasing food production through the use of technology such as high yield and resistant species of crop. This can also be through the use of fertilisers and pesticides. The United Nations 2022 hunger report highlights that the prevalence of undernourishment has remained stable since 2015 but rose from 8% in 2019 to 9.8% in 2021 . Now at least 1 in 5 people face hunger in Africa. With severe food insecurity rising and only 8 years left to meet SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), a green revolution appears to be vital in tackling this problem.  Figure 1 : Share of population with severe food insecurity. Behind Africa's green revolution One major organisation behind Africa's green revolution...